Carson: Obama Administration Manipulating Unemployment Numbers

By: Jim Owen | May 4, 2015

Dr. Ben Carson, in a speech on Monday in Detroit announcing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, accused the Obama administration of manipulating unemployment statistics.

“You can make the unemployment rate anything you want it to be, based on what numbers you include and what numbers you exclude,” the retired pediatric neurosurgeon said.

He continued: “Many of these people buy hook, line and sinker the idea that our economy is getting much better, and that the unemployment rate is down to 5.5 percent. You know what? If the unemployment rate was down to 5.5 percent, our economy would be humming. But obviously it’s not.”

Carson blasted “slick politicians and biased media” that try to “convince you that everything is wonderful when your eyes tell you something different.”

To understand the extent of joblessness, “you have to look at the labor-force participation rate,” according to the candidate. The statistic measures the number of Americans who hold jobs or are actively seeking employment.

The Huffington Post reported that the current rate of 62.5 percent, a 37-year low, is largely due to millions of people giving up hope of finding jobs. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics cited the mass retirement of baby boomers.